Attorney Responds to Confession in Duke Lacrosse Team Case – WSOC TV

CHARLOTTE — The Duke lacrosse team case was one of the biggest sports scandals in state history before it exploded into a pile of lies.

Crystal Mangum said she was raped by three lacrosse players at a party. In March 2006, members of the Duke lacrosse team came under scrutiny and criminal charges.

In a podcast, Mangum finally confessed and admitted that she had lied.

“I hope that they can forgive me and I want them to know that I love them and that they don’t deserve this,” Mangum said.

Reade Seligman, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans were eventually charged.

“Everyone assumes they’re guilty, there’s no presumption of innocence, there’s a presumption of guilt,” said James Cooney, who represented Seligman.

Cooney told Channel 9’s Glenn Counts that the early days of the case were challenging.

“Of course we knew she was lying all along. In a way, it’s nice to see her sharing it with the public,” Cooney said.

Charges against all three men were dropped and then-Attorney General Roy Cooper declared them innocent. The prosecutor in the case, Mike Nifong, was disbarred and jailed.

Eighteen years later, Mangum says, she turned to God and apologized.

“They were my brothers and they trusted me not to betray their trust and I testified falsely against them by saying they raped me when they didn’t and that was false,” Mangum said in the “Let’s Talk With Kat” podcast. .

Cooney watched the interview and believed Mangum was serious.

“It’s just been this tremendous path of destruction, I think she’s starting to realize the magnitude of what she’s done,” Cooney told Counts.

Mangum has been in prison for 12 years after being convicted of second-degree murder for killing her boyfriend. She could be released in two to five years.

As for Seligman, his attorney says he has gotten over the trauma of the case.

“Well, Reade is doing great, as I expected, he graduated from Emory with law school and is a successful practicing litigator, married with a family,” Cooney said.

Duke has settled a lawsuit with the three players.

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